Machine for compressing peat or other material into briquets.



Patented Dec. 3, I90l.

A. A. SUTHERLAND, MACHINE FOR COMPBESSING PEAT 08 OTHER MATERIAL INTU BRIQUETS.

(Application filed Apr. 6, 1901.)

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No. 688,269. Patented Dec. 3, l90l. A. A. SUTHERLAND.

MACHINE FOB COMPRESSING PEAT OR OTHER MATERIAL INTO BRIIIUETS.

(Appliation filed Apr. 6. 1901.)

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No. 688,269. Patented Dec. 3, I90l. A. A. SUTHERLAND.

MACHINE FOR COMPBESSING PEAT OR OTHER MATERIAL INTO BRIQUETS.

(Application filed Apr. 6. 1901.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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NlTE STATES ATnNr OFFICE.

ALEXANDER A. SUTHERLAND, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF Tl/VO- THIRDS TO JOHN M. TODD AND EDWARD S. PALMER, OF DETROIT,

MICHIGAN.

MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING PEAT OR OTHER MATERIAL INTO BRIQUETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,269, dated December 3, 1901.

Application filed April 6, 1901.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER A. SUTH- ERLAND, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Compressing Peat or other Material into Briquets, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for compressing peat and other material into uniform briquets, and especially to that class of machines having vertical compression-rams moving within self-discharging open-end molds and adapted to compress a fixed quantity of material, one charge superimposed upon another.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine of this character with a series of rams and a series of cam-wheels directly connected to and operating said rams, to provide mechanism for positively feeding the material into the molds, means for measuring the quantity of material in each charge, means for preventing the heating of the molds by the consequent friction of compression, and to provide certain other new and useful features hereinafter more fully described, and

0 particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of a machine embodying my invention on the 5 line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with parts broken away to show the construction. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail of the feeding mechanism. Fig. 5 is a detail showing the stop-pin for limiting the action of the spring 34.. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same.

1 is the driving-shaft, journaled on the vertical side frames 2 of the machine, and 3 is a 5 second shaft journaled in bearings 4 on said frames. Gears 5 and 6 are mounted on these shafts and transmit motion from the drivingshaft to the shaft 3. Mounted on the shaft 3 is a series of pinions 7, engaging gear-teeth on the peripheries of the cam-wheels 8, which semi No. 54,597. (No model.)

wheels are mounted on a shaft 9, journaled in suitable bearings on the upper ends of the frames 2 of the machine. These cam-wheels are spaced a sufficient distance apart to allow the rams 10 to extend vertically between them, each of said rams being flattened and forked or slotted at its upper end to embrace the shaft 9 and, extending downward through the guide 11, is engaged at its lower end by a mold 12. The. lower ends of these molds or the molds proper consist of cast cylinders 13, made integral with a cast rectangular box or casing 14, extending across the machine between the side frames 2 and bolted thereto, and said cylinders 13 being in the vertical center line of said box and a short distance apart the box or casing 14 forms a waterjacket around the molds. Into these cylinders 13 are inserted to take the frictional wear steel tubes 15, which may be removed when worn by removing the bolts which hold the supportingcasting 16 in place.

On the tubes 15, near their lower ends, are secured collars 17, and the said casting 16 is 1 divided longitudinally into halves and provided with apertures 18 to embrace the ends of the said tubes and collars and, extending across between the frames 2, is supported on lugs 19 on the frames, and the halves are also bolted together and flanged and bolted to the bottom of the water-jacket. The casting 16 thus not only serves to secure the tubes 15 in place, but to support the molds and take the downward thrust of the rams. The rams are made a close fit within the tubes 15 and are projected into the same approximately only one-third of the length of the tubes, so that a number of the preceding charges remain compressed within each tube or mold and are only forced therefrom by the succeeding 0 charges, which in so doing are likewise compressed. That portion of each of said tubes which extends below the water-jacket is made with a slightly-increased internal diameter, so that the friction of the charge within that 5 portion is reduced and overheating of the tube prevented.

The upper ends or receiving portions of the molds are formed in the casting 20, which extends across the machine between the frames roo 2, and is bolted thereto and to the'top of the water-jacket 14, and is also divided longitudinally, the halves being bolted together to embrace the rams.

To feed the material to be compressed into the molds 12, curved openings are provided in the side of the casting 20, and a curved cylindrical chute 21 is secured to said casting over each of said openings, each of which chutes communicates with a hopper 22, se cured to the guide 11, by means of a passage or throat 23, leading to an opening 2t in the top of the chute. A fixed shaft 25 is mounted on the frames 2, to the axis of which the chutes 21 are concentrically curved, said axis being in the horizontal plane of the tops of the tubes 15 of the molds, and longitudinally movable within each of said chutes is a feed-plunger 26, operated by an arm 27, loosely mounted on said shaft 25, and upon each of said plungers is a longitudinally movable sleeve 28, operated by an arm 29, also loosely mounted on said shaft. To operate each of the arms 27 and its plunger, an arm 30 is cast integral with the hub of each of said arms 27, and bars 31, extending horizontally through and longitudinally movable in openings between the rams in the casting 20, are each provided with a vertical slot at one end to engage a pin on each of the arms 30 and at the opposite end with a like slot to engage a pin on the end of each of the levers 32, which levers are pivoted upon the shaft 33, intermediate their ends, and turned thereon to actuate the feeding mechanism by means hereinafter described. The arms 29 and the sleeves to which they are attached are actuated by means of springs 34, which are coiled around the hubs of the arms 29 and secured at one end to said arms 29 and at their opposite ends to the arms 27, said springs exerting a force to hold said arms away from each other, and a stop-pin 35 on each of the hubs of the arms 27 is adapted to engage the arm 29 and limit the action of said springs.

Inclosed within each throat 23 of the hopper is a measuring device for the purpose of determining the amount of material for each charge, consisting of a star-wheel 36,mounted upon a shaft journaled in the sides of the throat, one end of said shaft being extended through the side and provided with a ratchetwheel 37,. adapted to be engaged by a pawl operated by a rod 38, each of said rods being connected at its opposite end to one of the levers and moved longitudinally thereby.

The cam-wheels 8 are provided with ribs, forming two cam-grooves 39 and 40 on each of the adjacent sides, which grooves 39 are engaged by rolls 41, journaled on the rams 10, and cam-grooves 40 are engaged by rolls 42 on the upper ends of the levers 32. The said cam-wheels are placed as near each other as practicable and allow for the free movement of the rams, and each ram is provided with two rolls, one at each side, the adjacent sides of the wheels being provided with like grooves to engage said rolls, and the levers 32 are similarly provided with rolls engaging camgrooves, which are also alike on the adjacent side of each pair of wheels. Any number of rams and their coacting parts may be used; but I prefer to use four, which are set on the quarter to equalize the strains and distribute the load throughout each revolution. On the shaft 3 may be mounted one or more flywheels 43, if it is found desirable to do so.

The operation of my machine is as follows: The prepared peat or other material to be pressed into briquets is put into the hopper and is fed into the chutes in predetermined charges, the spaces between the arms of the star-wheels forming pockets to receive and discharge a certain quantity of material, said wheels being turned one-fourth of a revolution at each operation of the machine by the rods 38, the pawls carried by said rods being so positioned and arranged that the star- Wheels are turned just before the plungers 26 reach the extreme outer end of their stroke. The cam-grooves 39 are so formed that when the cam-Wheels are in the position shown in Fig. 1 the ram operated by said wheels will be at the upper end of its stroke, as shown,

with its lower end above the curved opening into the feedchute, and as the cam-wheels are turned in the direction indicated by the arrow said ram will be held in that position for nearly one-fourth of a revolution, the cam-grooves being concentric with the axis of the wheel for that distance. The other portion of said cam-grooves is so arranged that upon the downward stroke said ram will move faster during the first part of its stroke and have a slow movement, with a consequent increase of power, at the lower or working end of the stroke, and is then again raised with a comparatively quick movement to the position shown in said Fig. 1. The camgrooves 40, which operate the feeding mechanism, are so arranged that when the ram is in the position shown in Fig. 1 the lever 32 has been moved and the plunger 26 projected into the chute, its inner end being about to enter the mold l2, and during the time that the ram is held by the concentric part of the grooves 39 the inner end of the said plunger is projected into the mold to the top of the tube 15, forcing the charge downward therein under slight pressure, and withdrawn, leaving the mold clear for the ram to descend and compress the charge just left. As the ram descends the plunger continues to withdraw from the chute, and the pin 35, engaging the arm 29, also withdraws the sleeve 28, thus opening the passage from the hopper to admit the next charge, which will be deposited at the proper time by the star-wheel 36, as before described. When the feeding mechanism has assumed the position just described, with the plunger and its sleeve withdrawn, it is held in that position for nearly a half-revolution of the cam-wheels, the cam-groove 40 being concentric for that distance, thus giving the charge ample time to fall into the chute, and if it is found necessany there is ample time to admit of two charges or two pockets of the starwheel being emptied. The cam-wheels continuing to revolve, the eccentric part of the said grooves 40 will again engage the rolls on the levers 32, and the said plunger Will be gradually projected into the chute, the spring 34 holding the arm 29 in engagement with the pin 35, and thus causing said sleeve 28 to move into the chute in advance of the plunger to close the opening 24:11nti1 said sleeve engages the casting 20 at its inner end and is stopped thereby, when the said spring will yield to allow the plunger to continue its inward movement until its inner end reaches the horizontal plane of the axis of the shaft 25 or the top of the tube 15.

By the use of the feed mechanism described the feeding of a certain amount ofmaterial into the molds is insured, and by mounting the cam-wheels upon a common shaft and in a series,with only space enough between them to allow of the free movement of the rams, each wheel having cam-grooves on each of its sides, a very compact construction is secured, and by driving each cam-wheel by gearteeth on its periphery said wheels and the shaft are relieved from much strain.

What I claim as my invention is-- l. In a machine for the purpose described, a series of open-end molds, a series of gearwheels mounted upon a shaft above said molds, cam-grooves upon the adjacent sides of said gear-wheels, a series of rams adapted to move vertically Within said molds and having forked upper ends to embrace said shaft, rolls upon each of said rams adapted to engage said cam-grooves, and pinions engaging said gears.

2. In a machine for the purpose described, having a series of vertical open-end molds, a removable tube in each of said molds, collars secured on said tubes near their lower ends, and a casting having apertures to receive the lower ends of said tubes and collars, and hold said tubes within the molds.

3. In combination with a machine for the purpose described, having a series of vertical open-end molds, a casing around said molds forming a water-jacket and secured at its ends to the machine-frame, a removable tube within each of said molds having its lower end extended below said water-jacket and formed with a slightly-increased internal diameter, collars secured on said tubes near theirlower ends, a casting longitudinally divided into corresponding halves and provided with apertures to embrace the lower ends of said tubes, and lugs on the machine-frame to engage and support said casting.

4. In combination with a machine for the purpose described, having a vertical mold and a ram movable therein, a curved chute opening into said mold, and a curved plunger longitudinally movable Within said chute.

5. In a machine for the purpose described, in combination with a vertical ram and a vertical mold having a curved opening in its side, a curved chute secured over said opening, a curved plunger within said chute adapted to be projected into said mold, and means for operating said rain and plunger alternately.

6. In a machine for the purpose described, having a series of vertical molds and rams Within said molds, a segmentally curved chute opening into each of said molds,a plunger of like curvature in each of said chutes and adapted to be projected into said mold, a hopper-above said chutes, passages connecting each of said chutes with said hopper, and means for operating said rams and plungers alternately.

7. In a machine for the purpose described, having a series of vertical molds and rams, curved chutes opening into said molds,curved plungers within said chutes, a series of wheels having cam-grooves on their adjacent sides to operate said rams, and a series of camgrooves to operate said plungers.

8. In a machine for the purpose described having a suitable frame, aseries of vertical molds and rams, a shaft mounted on said frame, a chute opening into each of said molds curved concentrically with the axis of said shaft, a plunger within each of said chutes, arms mounted on said shaft to operate said plungers, and means for operating said rams and plungers alternately.

9. In a machine for the purpose described, having a vertical mold and ram, a curved chute opening into said mold and having an opening in its upper side, a hopper above said chute communicating with said opening, a curved plunger in said chute, and a sleeve on said plunger withinsaid chute.

10. In a machine for the purpose described, having a series of vertical molds and rams, curved chutes opening into said molds, each having an openingin its upper side, plungers longitudinally-movable in said chutes, longi tudinally-movable sleeves on each of said plungers within said chutes, means for actuating said plungers, and flexible connections between said sleeves and plungers whereby said plungers when moved inward are preceded by said sleeves to close said openings in the top of said chutes.

11. In a machine for the purpose described, having a series of vertical molds and rams, curved chutes opening into said molds, each having an opening in its upper side, plungers in said chutes, sleeves on said plungers, a shaft mounted upon the machine-frame, arms journaled on said shaft to operate said plungers, springs to operate said sleeves in one direction, pins on said arms to operate said sleeves in the opposite direction, and means for actuating said arms.

12. In a machine for the purpose described, having a series of vertical molds and rams, curved chutes opening into said molds and having openings in their upper sides, a hopper above said chutes communicating with said openings, plungersin said chutes, sleeves on said plungers, a shaft mounted on the machine-frame,arms journaled on said shaft and connected to said plungers, arms journaled on said shaft and connected to said sleeves, springs engaging at one end the arms connected to said plungers and at the opposite end to the arms of the sleeves and exerting'a force to hold said arms away from each other, stop-pins on said plunger-arms to limit the action of said springs, and means for actuating said plunger-arms.

13. In a machine for the purpose described, in combination, a series of vertical molds, a series of vertical rams, adapted to move within said molds, a series of wheels having cam-grooves to operate said rams, curved chutes opening into each of said molds and having openings in their upper sides, a hopper communicating with said openings, a plunger longitudinally movable in each of said chutes, a series of levers pivoted on the machine-frame intermediate their ends and connected to said plungers at one end to opcrate the same, and at the opposite end provided with rolls adapted to engage camgrooves in said wheels.

14. In a machine for the purpose described, a series of vertical open-end molds, a series of rams movable within said molds, a series of wheels provided with cam-grooves on their adjacent sides to operate said rams, a series of chutes opening into said molds and having openings in their upper sides, a hopper above said chutes, a passage connecting said with said openings,astar-wheel within sage a series of plungers in said '-f 1evers pivoted intermediate their .ens- J Irine-frame and connected to said plunge J 'H' d, ll on the opposite ends of said levers V d to engage cam-grooves on said wheels, and connected to said levers to actuate said starwheels.

15. Ina machine for the purpose described, having a series of vertical open-end molds, a series of rams vertically movable within said molds, rolls on the upper ends of said rams, a series of wheels having camgrooves on their adjacent sides engaging said rolls, a

curved chute opening into each of said molds and having an opening in its upper side, a' hopper above said chutes, passages connecting said hopper and said openings, starwheels in said passages, a plunger in each of said chutes, a sleeve on each of said plungers,

ashaft mounted on the machine-frame, arms journaled on said shaft to operate said plungers. and-sleeves, a stop-pin on each of said arms which operate said plungers, springs to hold the arms which operate the sleeves in engagement with said stop-pins, a series of levers pivoted to the machine-frame intermediate their ends, a bar having vertical slots in each of its ends connecting the lower ends of each of said levers with the levers to operate the plungers, rolls on the upper ends of the levers which are pivoted intermediate their ends and adapted to engage cam-grooves on the adjacent sides of the cam-wheels, and rods pivoted to said last-named levers and adapted to operate said starwheels.

16. In combination with the frame of a machine for the purpose described, a drivingshaft journaled thereon, a transverse shaft mounted in bearings at the upper end of said frame, a series of cam-wheels having gearteeth on their peripheries journaled on said transverse shaft, a series of pinions engaging said camwheels and a train of gears transmitting motion for said driving-shaft to said cam-wheels, a series of vertical molds arranged in a line transversely across the machine, a water-jacket surrounding said molds and secured to the frame sides, lugs on said frame sides, a casting supperted by said lugs and secured to said water-jacket, a casting extending transversely between the frame sides and secured thereto and to the top of the Water-jacket,-forming an upward extension of said molds, and having curved openings in its side leading into each of said molds, vertical rams adapted to engage each of said molds, a guide for each of said rams secured to the said frame and extending transversely beneath said cam-wheels, forked upper ends on said rams embracing said shaft on which the cam-wheels are mounted, rolls journaled on said rams engaging cam-grooves on the adjacent sides of said cam-wheels, a er secured to said guide and communiaid chutes, plungers longitudinally movable said chutes, a shaft mounted on the machin' frame, arms journaled on said shaft to operate said plungers, levers pivoted on said frame, bars connecting said levers and arms, and rolls on the upper ends of said last-named levers and engaging cam-grooves on said cam-wheels.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER A. SUTIIERLAND.

Witnesses:

OTTO F. BARIHEL, JOSEPH A. NoELKE. 

